


Nothing Left to Lose

by ForetellerAva



Series: Kingdom Hearts: Video Game Edition [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games), Super Paper Mario (Game)
Genre: BETWEEN RIKU AND BLUMIERE BACK IN HIGH SCHOOL., Gen, HEY ANYWAYS ANYBODY WANNA HEAR ABOUT THE FRIENDSHIP I CAME UP WITH, It's been eight years since I first thought it up and it's still important to me now, It's very important to me that's all I'm saying, Some referenced Timpani/Blumiere but it's unimportant to the story so untagged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:49:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29256240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForetellerAva/pseuds/ForetellerAva
Summary: Possessed by Ansem and cast away into the Realm of Darkness, Riku's hit his lowest point.At least he's not alone.[No knowledge of KH VGE is required to read this fic.]
Relationships: Kairi & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Riku & Count Bleck | Blumiere, Riku & Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: Kingdom Hearts: Video Game Edition [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1167494
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Nothing Left to Lose

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't touched this series in three years and this probably would've never been written if it wasn't for the fact that this friendship (alongside Tippi/Sora friendship) lives rent free in my mind despite having all but abandoned this project.
> 
> Maybe one day I'll return to this actual series, who knows.
> 
> If you're curious about this wild combo you should probably read the whole fic but the gist is:  
> -In KHVGE, Maleficent and her Disney villain crew are replaced by the Castle Bleck gang.  
> -Maleficent's role is split between Count Bleck, who serves as the leader of the gang, and Dimentio, who serves as the one corrupting Riku.  
> -When Count Bleck learns Timpani, is alive he tries to stop everything and Dimentio kicks him out and so the Count can no longer serve as a counter balance for Riku and this leads to the events of Hollow Bastion like Ansem's possession like in game. Because he feels partially accountable for Riku's fall, Count Bleck goes to the Realm of Darkness to find Riku. (Dimentio, meanwhile, perishes in the Maleficent boss fight.) They eventually unite and go to the Door to Darkness together to seal it.
> 
> In terms of KH1 timeline, this takes place just after the 1.5 cutscene addition with Riku in the Realm of Darkness.
> 
> Final note is that Riku refers to Count Bleck as "the Count" because this is not just a title it is legit a thing his minions refer to him as all the time like a secondary name.

Riku walked alongside the count in silence as they proceeded down the path. The Realm of Darkness was stifling. It felt like the same darkness that Ansem had drenched his heart in and like an unending world of cold. Nothing was here, and there was nothing to distract him either. Nothing to talk to Count Bleck about.

Well, nothing but the one, glaringly obvious conversation that Riku was desperate to avoid.

_"And because of this you endanger yourself to the darkness. If you wish to remain going out and doing missions, you will learn to let go."_

The advice Count Bleck had given Riku rang in his ears. He'd been right. Choosing to let his emotions rule him, choosing to use the darkness to upset Sora, that had resulted in the situation they were trapped in now.

"You've been quiet," Count Bleck noted. It was likely he was as sick of the silence and suffocating nothingness around them as Riku was.

"Just...thinking," Riku answered. Upon realizing that the evasive answer would get them nowhere but more silence, however, he continued. "You were right, C-Blumiere." He'd almost forgotten to use the Count's true name for a moment. With no response, he continued. "I let my anger at Sora get the better of me. It's why we're stuck here now with no way out."

"It's not," Count Bleck finally responded. "I was the one who took you in as one of my minions when I knew that meant you would be exposed to darkness. I started you on this twisted path when I should have known you would face the same struggles I did."

It was the most open Count Bleck had been with him. Riku had never found out just what had driven him to attempt to destroy all the worlds and gather the princesses. "The same struggles?"

"The Pixl who was with your friend, she...she matters more to me than I could put into words." He stopped for a moment, lowering the brim on his white top hat to cover his face. "At one point, I had thought she'd died, and there was nothing I wouldn't do to get her back, or to take revenge on the worlds that took her away from me."

"What changed?" There was an obvious answer, of course. The Pixl was still alive if she was travelling with Sora, but Riku found himself asking it anyways.

"I found somebody just like me." Count Bleck put a hand on Riku's shoulder, startling him. "You were lost, your home destroyed, and the girl you loved in a state worse than death. The more I watched you as you confronted Sora and took on the darkness without fear, the more I realized just how lost I'd become, and was leading you to be. And for that, I'm truly sorry for not being able to guide you when you needed it."

"Well, I didn't listen either. I thought I needed darkness to make me stronger." And how much of a fool he had been. It was his usage of the darkness that cost him his ability to use the Keyblade, that proved he was weaker than Sora, and that put his two best friends in so much danger. "I'm not sure if it's possible for us to turn this around. We're trapped in this darkness, and Ansem has my body to destroy all the worlds."

"If there's one thing I've learned in all this, it's to never give up hope," Count Bleck said. "If we give up on escaping the Realm of Darkness, of getting out of here, that's when we've truly lost. So long as we keep fighting, we'll find our way out."

Riku nodded. "You're right. I can't let the darkness stop me. I can't become afraid now." There was too much he needed to fight for in that moment. He needed to make sure that Kairi would be okay, even without him there to keep her and Sora safe.

...He needed to apologize to Sora, for everything he'd done.

The sandy white path in front of them continued never ending as he and Count Bleck once more fell into silence, contemplating the conversation that they'd had. The Count didn't blame him, which he had to admit he appreciated, but it didn't stop Riku from wondering. He'd done so much wrong.

"What if all this isn't enough. What if I return to the Realm of Light and I'm still struggling with my darkness, or what if after everything I did, Sora and Kairi can't forgive me?"

What he was thinking of when Count Bleck answered, Riku would never know, though he knew it had something to do with himself. "You know your friends better than I ever will. What does your heart say?"

Riku closed his eyes for a moment, searching his heart for the answer, reaching out to Sora's to find the answer he desired.

And in that moment he felt a sheer single minded determination to save Riku and bring him home. To reunite him and Kairi and for the three of them to finally go home. Above all else, that was what Sora wanted, his friends.

Then, that determination changed to fear as he saw Sora start to struggle. Whatever Ansem was doing, it was bad, but Sora could handle it. He knew he could.

" _Giving up already? Come on Sora, I thought you were stronger than that."_

And then he was back, no longer seeing Sora and now facing Count Bleck. Unlike before, there was a new feeling of determination. Sora was fighting to bring him home. His friends still cared. His attempts to keep Kairi safe in Hollow Bastion and his attempt at escaping the Realm of Darkness now weren't for nothing.

"You found your answer?" Count Bleck asked, as though he was able to pick up on the change.

Riku nodded. "I did." He continued moving faster, watching as the Count sped up his steps in an attempt to reach Riku faster. "We've got to hurry?"

"Hurry?"

"Yeah, we have to be there to close the Door to Darkness to fix all this according to the voice, and besides," Riku gave Count Bleck a smirk before continuing, "we can't leave him to have all the fun, can we?"

"No, I suppose we can't."

With his heart leading him and his resolve finally found, Riku started off towards Sora.

He wasn't sure if they'd ever truly reunite, but if there was one thing Riku was certain of, he wouldn't let Sora keep fixing his mistakes.

* * *

" _I can't…" Sora was struggling to close the door, no matter how much he pushed, it wouldn't budge. He had to keep fighting, all the worlds were relying on him to seal the Door to Darkness. To heal all the destroyed worlds, but it was so hard."_

" _Don't give up!" A hand shot out from behind the door as Riku appeared, grabbing onto the door to help seal the darkness in. "Come on, Sora! Together we can do it!"_

_This was the start of his redemption. It was time to prove himself worthy of Sora's and Kairi's forgiveness at long last._

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr](https://disneydreamlights.tumblr.com/) for general writing updates. It has mostly, admittedly, become screaming about Anakin Skywalker but I am still very passionate about SPM and KH and ask me one day for my parallels between Anakin, Blumiere, and Riku/Terra there are too many to count I swear I'm not crazy.


End file.
